


Two New Things

by watermelon_juice



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, Ice Skating AU, M/M, solangelo, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 16:58:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11445129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelon_juice/pseuds/watermelon_juice
Summary: Nico couldn’t believe they actually convinced him to come along.He sucked at ice skating. He was just gonna trip and fall and make a fool of himself. It was also cold as hell, and he hated the freezing cold. To be fair, Nico disliked a lot of things. Right now, the subject of his animosity was his friends.





	Two New Things

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Feast of Fortuna gift for salty-nico on Tumblr. I hope you like it!

Nico couldn’t believe they actually convinced him to come along.

He sucked at ice skating. He was just gonna trip and fall and make a fool of himself. It was also cold as hell, and he hated the freezing cold. To be fair, Nico disliked a lot of things. Right now, the subject of his animosity was his friends.

Jason and Reyna gleefully laced up their skates in the corner. Nico had his skates dangling by the laces from his hand. He had the sudden urge to throw them out the window.

Jason looked up. “You know, those aren’t going to tie themselves.”

“I know,” Nico snapped.

“Then what’s the hold up?” Reyna piped in as she stood up.

He sighed. “Nothing. Just give me a minute.”

When Nico sat down on a bench, Jason turned to him. “You want us to wai-”

“No, go ahead.” Nico said, “I’ll be right behind you.”

Jason and Reyna walked off, leaving Nico alone on the bench.

Once he finished tying up his laces and checking if it was tight enough, Nico proceeded to stand up and take one wobbly step forward. Nico was pretty sure that skates were originally invented as torture devices. He almost fell more than once, nearly twisted his ankle, and had to lean on the wall several times before he got to the entrance of the rink.

Nico took a deep breath. “C’mon, Di Angelo. You can do this,”

The moment he stepped on the ice, he regretted saying that.

He awkwardly tried to hang on to the rail surrounding the rink. His legs slid uncontrollably. Nico thought he probably looked like a newborn colt trying to stand up for the first time.

Nico looked to the center of the rink where Jason and Reyna were gliding smoothly across the ice next to each other while still maintaining a conversation. He suddenly felt a small twinge of envy.

Thankfully, there weren't that many other people here to see his embarrassment.

_ I can't wait to get out of here. _

Half an hour later, and his wish was granted. The three of them were sitting on a bench, sipping some hot chocolate.

Reyna had tried to teach him, but to no avail. Maybe he was just not made to ice skate.

“We have to go. Do you need a ride home or do you want me to take you?” Reyna asked.

Nico shook his head. “Nah, Bianca is picking me up in a few. See you tomorrow,”

“Are you sure? I mean, we're running late, but we could always wait a bit longer.”

Nico smiled. “I'm sure, Reyna. Go.” 

He watched them drive off together and checked his phone. 

_ Dammit. I should  have said yes. Bianca isn't going to be here for another twenty minutes. _

What was he supposed to do now?

As everyone left the rink, a new boy came in, white skates dangling from his hand. They were his own, so he didn’t need to rent the ones that smelled like old fish at the counter. 

He sat down on a nearby bench, and skillfully tied his laces. Making his way quickly into the lonely rink, he put on some headphones, and began.

He moved smoothly across the ice, his face an image of pure serenity. Starting off slowly, his short strides soon became longer strokes, one foot after the other. Not long after he gained momentum, he stood on his left foot with his right leg raised behind him, head in the air, and arms spread apart. 

In Nico’s eyes, he skated with the grace of a swan. Or a prince. Yeah, definitely a prince.   

Mystery Boy kept skating to a beat only heard by him, but even without the music, his moves enchanted Nico like a spell. 

Well, there  _ was _ music, crappy 70’s disco being played by the rink’s speakers. But not even the horrible tune could tarnish the setting the blond boy created with his moves.

He did no jumps, but his routine did not need them.

All too soon, the dance ended. Nico felt a bit of disappointment as he watched Mystery Boy skate out of the rink. Only then did he realized that he had been staring at the blond for all of his performance. He probably looked like a creep.

_Oh well. It’s not like I regret it._ _That was amazing._

Before he knew it, the blond walked past him, skates in hand. Nico sputtered out,“H-Hey. Uh, nice skating.” 

_ What the hell, Di Angelo. ‘Nice skating’? _

The boy turned to him and gave a warm smile that reached his eyes. To Nico’s dismay, he discovered that the boy had dimples. He swore he felt his heart skip a beat.

_ Oh goodness.  _ Not only was he the best skater he's ever seen, he was also the  _ prettiest boy Nico's ever seen. _

The blond didn’t seem to notice his near heart attack. “Thank you.”

“Are you, uh, a professional skater or something?” Nico put his hands in the pockets of his jacket. It was  _ freezing.  _

“Oh, no.” He laughed, “I just do it for fun,”

“That was amazing for ‘just fun’,” Nico suddenly realized how the blond might take that the wrong way, “Oh, sorry. Forgive my manners. That was fantastic,”

_ He still doesn't know who the hell you are, idiot _ . “I’m Nico. And you are?”

“Will. It’s nice to meet you,” he said. Will extended his hand, and it took Nico five seconds to realize that he was offering a handshake. He accepted the hand. 

“The pleasure’s all mine.”  _ His hand is so warm _ , Nico thought. 

Will looked down at his watch. “Well, Nico,”  _ Gosh, I love the way he said my name,  _ ”I have to go. Gotta be back home before ten.”

“Uh, well. Nice meeting you, Will.”

Another smile. “Likewise.”

Will started to trudge over to the double doors. Nico panicked. Was this the last time he was going to see him?

_ Oh gosh, I need to see this boy again. Think fast, think fast. _

“Wait!”

Will turned, his hand on the door handle. “Yes?”

“Could you teach me? To skate?”

_ Why would you ask that! He's never going to agree. Who would agree to give classes to a stranger they just met? He's gonna think I'm a creep. _

Yet, Will found a way to surprise him. “Sure thing. Meet me here on Monday at 8:00 a.m. sharp,”

Nico tried to hide his shock.

“Won’t this place be closed at that hour?”

Will winked. “Not for me,”

“Alright,” Nico’s voice went higher at the end, which made it sound like a question, ”Sounds good. Thank you,”

“No problem. See ya then.” He left.

“Goodbye,” Nico awkwardly waved his hand, even though Will could not see it. 

Nico could not wait until Monday.

  
  
  


Apparently, Will’s uncle owned the place, and he had access to the rink whenever he wanted. That was convenient for Will, but not so much for Nico.

“Ooph!” Nico fell for what felt like the hundredth time. 

“Hey, you did better this time!” Will offered his hand and pulled Nico up. He’d been teaching him for two hours now, but Nico just couldn't pick it up.

Nico clung to the railing. “How? I suck.” 

“You lasted five minutes without clinging to me or the railing. That’s progress!” How could he be this optimistic? 

“I’ve fallen eighteen times,” Nico grumbled.

“Now you’re just exaggerating,” Will crossed his arms.

“I’ve been counting them.”

Will let out a small snort. “Just take it easy. This is only your first lesson.”  _ No one has the right to sound that cute while snorting. _

“I know. It’s just frustrating… looking like an idiot.” Nico vaguely realized that he was still clinging onto the railing.

“You're not an idiot. I didn’t learn in one day you know,” Will said.

Nico thought that was impossible. Will seemed like he was born skating.

He continued, “In a sport like this, you need constant practice.”

Nico breathed out. “Okay, let’s try it again.”  

Will smiled, “That’s the spirit. Okay, so, you gotta be more relaxed.” He placed his hands on Nico’s shoulders. “You’re going to keep falling if you’re so tense.”

Will was so close, Nico could smell him.

_ Lavender. _

It reminded him of the French Lavender that grew in his mother’s garden.

_ Focus. _

“Now c’mon. Grab my hand and we’ll try it again.”               

  
  


 

Three months later, and Nico was half decent at skating. He could glide smoothly across the ice without fear of falling, but he was still cautious by nature so he didn't get  _ too _ cocky. But skating wasn’t the only thing he was learning about. 

There was also Will and the little things Nico came to know about him. His favorite color was yellow, but he despised orange. He always double-knotted his shoelaces. Will seemed to like leather bracelets, as he constantly had at least one adorning his wrist. His eyes were blue, but when he was close enough, Nico could see the rings of sea green around his pupils. 

And there was also his ever present patience. Not once did he snap at Nico for complaining or not getting something right. He had a sense of tranquility around him that put Nico at ease. Will also had a secret snarky side that occasionally came out. Nico absolutely loved it. 

Nico soaked up all of this information like a sponge. But there was something Nico didn’t know that bothered him. 

“Y’know,” Nico started as he skated smoothly next to Will, “You never told me how you learned to skate,”

“You never asked,” he said.

“Touché.”

Will started, “Well, it was nothing out of this world. My mom signed me up for some classes when I was five. I took a little bit of ballet to help out my skills. But I stopped taking classes around two years ago.”

Nico felt puzzled. “Why? You’re so great it, why quit? Why not consider professional skating?”

“Because it’s not what I wanted. I enjoyed it, but the training was exhausting and it took up most of my day. People said I was a prodigy, a natural, that I was going to go far in a professional career. I won medals and stuff but I didn’t feel… ” His brows furrowed. “Complete. I didn’t see myself doing that in the future. I wanted to be a doctor. Still do.”

“My coach advised me to start with more intense training, so I could have a debut in professional skating. I would’ve had to move. That’s when I knew it was enough. So I quit. I still do it for fun, but I’m a lot happier now. There isn’t this overwhelming pressure to be perfect when I skate. I can do what I want and do what feels right.”

“But,” Will turned to Nico and smiled, “I can't complain about it  _ too _ much. Without it, maybe I would've never met you,”

Nico felt his cheeks burn. He managed to return a small smile.

Will started to fidget with the bracelet on his wrist. “So I was thinking...would you like to go for ice cream later? Maybe catch a movie?”

“Sure,” Nico didn't think much about it. They'd gone out before.

“I meant…” Will’s face went as red as a tomato. “As in a date.”

“Woah!” Nico tripped over his own feet and almost fell, but Will caught him.

“You okay there?”

“S-sure! I just… tripped.”

“I saw that,” Will laughed, “So, is that a yes?”

“Y-yes! Of course!”  _ Pull it together, Nico. Be cool. _ “I mean, yeah. That'd be great.”

Will let out a sigh of relief.  “How does Saturday at seven sound?”

“I’ll be there,” 

“Great. Now, I have to go. I have Uke practice.” Will leaned in close, and for a second Nico though he was going to kiss him. Instead, Will turned his head and kissed him on the cheek. 

Will’s face somehow became an even deeper shade of red. “Uh, I gotta go now. Bye!” He skated off, leaving Nico alone on the ice rink and with his heart beating out of his chest. 

“Bye.” 

_ Oh my God. _

 

Fifteen minutes later, Nico got into Reyna’s car.

“So, how'd i-”

_ “Holy shit I have a date!” _

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear what you thought about it!


End file.
